The New York Yankees defeated the Houston Astros, 7-1, on Friday night at Minute Maid Park, relying on some stingy pitching while taking advantage of some costly mistakes from their opponents.
Though the Astros led 1-0 for the first six innings of the game, this Yankees squad once again showed they have the ability to rally late in games. Getting some major production from the bottom of the lineup,
Here's everything we know from the Yankees's 7-1 victory over the Astros on Friday night:
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Keys to the game
- Starter Carlos Rodon showed off some impressive velocity, touching up to 98 miles per hour. He was a bit shaky with his command and labored through the outing—evident from his sweat-soaked jersey. However, he did plenty to keep the Yankees in the game. in 4.1 innings pitched, he gave up five hits, one run and three walks while striking out four.
- The Yankees took advantage of some sloppy play from the Astros late in the game. It started with a Jeremy Pena error in the eighth inning followed by an errant throw from Parker Mushinski on a safety squeeze by Austin Wells, which plated two.
- Each team left 11 runners on base.
- After the Astros scored a run in the first inning, they recorded just five hits during the final eight innings.
3 stars of the game
- 3B Oswaldo Cabrera: His first four-hit game, Cabrera got the Yankees started with an RBI single in the seventh inning to tie the game 1-1. He then added some insurance with a two RBI single in the top of the eighth. In all, he went 4-for-5 with a double and three RBI.
- OF Juan Soto: What can't this man do? Soto added three hits, including a double and an RBI while reaching base four times. He also made another strong defensive play with a sliding catch in shallow right field.
- The Bullpen: Yet again, the bullpen was strong. After Rodon left in the fifth inning, a combination of Nick Burdi (0.2), Luke Weaver (1.1), Victor Gonzalez (0.1), Caleb Ferguson (1.1) and Clayton Beeter (1.0) allowed no runs and just two hits to close out the game.
Oswaldo Cabrera's big night
Cabrera is taking the hot streak at the end of Spring Training and bringing it right into the start of this season. His six hits through the first two games are tied for the third-most in Yankees history. He hasn't been tested much, but he also playing a pretty sound third base in D.J. LeMahieu's absence. Cabrera came through with his first career four-hit night, and it's exactly the type of production the Yankees need from the bottom of the order.
Quick Hits
- 2B Gleyber Torres exited the game in the seventh inning after getting hit by a pitch on the hand. He remained in the game immediately after but then pulled himself during a mound visit in the bottom half of the inning.
- SS Anthony Volpe once again led the team with 25 pitches seen. He reached base a total of three times.
- OF Juan Soto was tended to for a twisted ankle early in the game but finished the game and should be fine.
- DH Giancarlo Stanton smoked his first home run of the season to left field in the top of the ninth inning. It registered an exit velocity of 109.7 off the bat and with a distance of 419 feet.
- The bottom three of the batting order (Volpe, Wells, Cabrera) accounted for four hits and five RBI.
- RHP Clayton Beeter made his MLB debut in the ninth inning, working a clean frame to end the game.
The Yankees and Astros are back at it again Saturday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET.
